West Virginia football vs Oklahoma State: Preview, prediction, live stream
West Virginia football squares off with Oklahoma State in Week 9 with Big 12 title relevancy on the line. Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
West Virginia (5-2) has had an eventful season so far. After dropping their opener to Virginia Tech by a score of 31-24 the Mountaineers racked up three 50+ point outings before falling to TCU by the same 31-24 score. They’ve played two close games against Texas Tech and Baylor, setting the stage for what could be another fun Big 12 shootout against Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State (6-1) has also skewed towards the offensive side of the ball. Their lone loss came at the hands of TCU, but they survived a close call last weekend against Texas. It took overtime and a questionable decision by Longhorn quarterback Sam Ehlinger, for the Pokes to walk away with a 13-10 victory.
Both schools have a loss to the Horned Frogs, the current Big 12 front-runner. A loss on Saturday would be the tipping point that essentially eliminates them from the conference championship game and possibly drops them from the rankings entirely.
Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s Oklahoma State at West Virginia game:
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Morgantown, WV
Venue: Milan Puskar Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: ABC Go
Keys to Victory
Have the ball last. That’s not a joke either. Will Grier and David Sills V have more touchdown combinations between them (15) than any other wide quarterback-receiver duo in college football. All it takes is one play for those two to put up points.
Mason Rudolph has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal. Between James Washington, Marcell Ateman and Jalen McCleskey the weapons at his disposal rival every other receiving corps in the nation. Both schools are going to get their points.
While neither school has proven to be the standard-bearer for elite defensive football, the Cowboys are coming off their strongest performance of the season. Other than the errant throw by Ehlinger, the Cowboys did not force any turnovers. The Pokes have 12 takeaways on the season compared to the Mountaineers nine. A well-timed turnover might prove to hard to overcome.
Next: Updated 2018 NFL Mock Draft after Week 8
Prediction
This game has shootout written all over it. While both teams have proven they can score, only Oklahoma State has proven they can play defense. Neither secondary is all that great, but the Pokes make one more play than the Mountaineers and that’s the difference.
Final Score: Oklahoma State 51, West Virginia 43